The Five Scarves - Scarves Heist Part 1
by RaceProUK
Summary: (Book 3 of 3, Part 1 of 5) With rumours of an energy crisis gaining increasing traction in Shang Mu, the Red Scarves decide to unearth the truth for themselves. Spade calls on the services of Maria Shanmao, Danny Brock, and Xander Lykos to find that information. And one of them discovers far more than anyone ever expected…
1. Chapter 1

[The Kingdom Stone Heist: T-4 days. Location: Jade Creek]

On the shore of the lake in the middle of Jade Creek, a lone ochre badger puts himself through a vigorous training routine. Around him, the only sounds are the rustling of leaves in the breeze, the gentle lapping of the water, and the swish of his hanbo. Unbeknownst to the badger, someone is watching him from the bushes: an olive-green lynx waiting patiently for the moment to pounce, her auburn eyes flashing with intent, a wicked smile playing on her lips.

The badger comes to the end of his routine, his back to the lynx. Standing straight, he sheathes his hanbo on his back, and takes a deep breath to relax.

The lynx pounces, knocking the badger flat on the ground, winding him slightly.

"Darn it Maria," Danny sighs, spitting grit and sand. "Do you have to do that?"

"Yes," Maria giggles, rolling off to one side. "How else am I going to practice being a sneaky kitty?"

"By using a sandbag dummy, like you do when practising with your blades?" Danny suggests, rolling over and sitting up.

"But that wouldn't be as much fun," Maria smiles, flopping onto her back.

"At least this time you waited until I'd put my hanbo away," Danny smiles.

"Yeah," Maria sighs, rubbing the top of her head. "I still don't quite remember what happened then. All I do remember is pouncing you, then waking up an hour later with a splitting headache…"

"You didn't actually lose consciousness though. In fact, for the first few minutes, you were quite talkative."

"Really?"

"Really. Couldn't make head-nor-tail of what you were saying though. Especially when you requested '61 scissors'."

"61 scissors? That's silly!" Maria giggles. "Must have been quite a blow."

"It was," Danny confirms as he checks the time. "Training has made me peckish. Fancy an early lunch?"

Maria's stomach grumbles softly. "Thinker says no, tummy says yes," she answers, sitting up. "Tummy wins," she adds a moment later.

Danny stands and heads into the house, Maria following. Once inside, Danny pauses in the den while Maria makes straight for the kitchen.

"Xander?" Danny calls. "You around? We're making lunch."

"Bit early, isn't it?" Xander replies from the direction of his bedroom.

"Yeah, but Maria and I are hungry now, so…"

"Fair enough, be there in a moment."

The phone rings: Danny answers it. "Hello… Yes, we're available… Sure, we can do that… This afternoon then… OK." He hangs up.

"Who was it?" Maria calls from the kitchen.

"HQ," Danny replies. "Seems we have a new assignment."

"What sort of assignment?" Xander asks as he enters the den.

"Intelligence gathering," Danny explains. "We'll get the full briefing at HQ this afternoon."


	2. Chapter 2

[Location: Red Scarves HQ]

Maria, Danny, and Xander arrive mid-afternoon, and immediately head to the room reserved for their briefing. Inside, they are greeted by Senior Nika Markovic, a russet-coloured middle-aged wolverine, infamous among the Scarves for her total lack of patience with anything she doesn't deem 'professional behaviour'. It's very rare any Scarf below the rank of Senior has to interact with her, so Maria, Danny, and Xander know immediately that this assignment is of the highest importance.

"Before we begin," Nika starts as the others take their seats, "I must stress the importance of keeping the details of this mission top secret. Spade doesn't want news to spread until we're totally sure of the facts. Rumours are already spreading, and we _don't_ want to fuel them."

"We'll keep it secret, don't worry about that," Danny assures. "Won't we guys?"

"Aye," Xander agrees.

"Pinkie swear!" Maria grins.

Nika sighs. "This is a very important and very serious mission Maria," she scolds. "You were selected for your stealth skills, but I'm beginning to question that choice."

"I _am_ being serious!" Maria protests.

"Seventeen years old, and a Scarf for five years, yet you still act like a child," Nika dismisses. "It's pathetic and nauseating."

Maria reaches for her tanto, growling quietly. Danny quickly grabs her wrist, shaking his head in disapproval. Maria fixes Danny with an angry and defiant look, but Danny remains steadfast. After a moment, Maria relents. Letting go of her tanto, she wrenches her wrist from Danny's grasp and folds her arms, pouting indignantly.

"If it was up to me, I'd throw you not just out of this room, but out of the Scarves," Nika chides Maria. "Ours is a serious business, and should be treated as such. But as Leader Kyokan seems tolerant of your petulance, I have no choice but to defer to her judgement."

Maria mumbles a violent insult under her breath.

"I'll pretend I didn't hear that," Nika growls. "Anyway," she continues in a more neutral tone, "your mission. As you may be aware, there are rumours that Shang Mu is facing serious difficulties with their energy supplies. Of course, Mayor Zao is trying to play down these rumours, but the media won't be silenced. It is your job to find out what's really going on.

"Maria, as much as I think this is a bad idea, you will be in Shang Mu itself, uncovering the Mayor's secrets. Danny, you will take Shang Tu: your task is to find out if the Magister is restricting the supply. And Xander, you will head to Shuigang to find out if they're diverting it. Once you have completed your assignments, you are to meet back here, and I will debrief you. Understood?"

The three friends nod in agreement, though Maria refuses to make eye contact with Nika.

"Very good," Nika acknowledges. "Dismissed."

Maria wastes no time in storming out of the briefing room. Danny is quick to follow, with Xander lagging a little further back.

"Maria, don't take it so personally! You know how she is!" Danny attempts to calm the furious lynx, but to no avail. Maria continues her silence all the way back to their trikes, jumping on hers and taking off without saying a word.

"Is she OK?" Xander asks, concerned.

"She will be," Danny sighs. "Maybe if Nika knew _why_ Maria's adopted that personality…"

"I thought we were keeping that a secret?"

"We are. We promised, and I'm not one to break promises."


	3. Chapter 3

The journey to Shang Mu allowed Maria to calm down, and by the time she reached the outskirts of the city, she was back to her normal self. She'd even started singing a cheerful ditty halfway through the journey, though once past the city limits, she'd stopped singing and started to focus on her mission.

After a brief stop to pick up a disposable camera, she parks in a quiet alleyway near the Town Hall. After concealing the trike under a dark cover, she swiftly scales a nearby drainpipe. Once on the roof, she settles down in the shade, and waits for nightfall.

* * *

[Location: Shang Mu Town Hall]

As night falls, Maria stirs from her half-sleep. Stretching to loosen her limbs, she moves to the roof edge to observe the crowds and traffic, waiting for a calm moment. Ten minutes later, an opportunity presents itself. Maria vaults over the roof edge and slides down the drainpipe. Once on the ground, she sprints across the road to the Town Hall itself and leaps up to the fire escape, and a few minutes later, she's on the roof, hunting out a suitable access.

A door opens fifty feet away: Maria dives behind a vent to hide. Relying on her excellent hearing, she listens to the security guard approach her hiding place. Just after he walks past, Maria noiselessly makes a break for the open door. The guard hesitates, as if he heard a noise he wasn't sure he actually did hear. Turning to face the door, he just misses Maria disappearing down the stairs.

In the corridors of the offices, Maria wastes no time. Moving swiftly from room to room, taking care to avoid the patrolling guards, she searches each office for any evidence that would confirm or deny that Shang Mu is facing an energy crisis. The first half-dozen offices yield nothing of any use, just employee records, payroll documents, contracts, requisitions, invoices, and many other documents typical of governmental bureaucracy.

By the ninth office, Maria was starting to get bored. She'd taken to rooting through drawers and filing cabinets not just for evidence to complete her mission, but also money and anything of sufficient value to pawn off. But it was while doing this that she found what she'd been sent to find: a folder marked 'Resolving the Energy Crisis'. Clearing a space on the desk the drawer is in, Maria opens the file and roots through the contents. Desperately refraining from giggling with excitement, she pulls out the camera and begins to take pictures.

Suddenly, she hears footsteps: it's one of the guards, heading directly for the office! Hastily, she stashes the camera and sweeps up the file's contents. Just in time, she ducks under the desk, hidden from the view of the guard that has just entered the room. For what feels like hours, Maria waits for the guard to disappear. To her relief, a minute later, he does so.

Breathing a relaxing sigh, Maria carefully places the papers back into the file and returns it to where she found it. Swiftly but carefully, she makes her way back to the stairwell she used to descend from the roof, finding the door at the top is closed. Maria places an ear against the door, listening for any signs of movement the other side. A few moments later, confident the coast is clear, she opens the door-

"Freeze, thief!" the guard commands, pointing a pistol between Maria's eyes. Instinct and training take over as Maria flips backwards, kicking the gun out of the guard's hands. Before the guard can recover his composure, Maria completes her backflip. Tanto drawn, she pounces at the guard, the blade aiming for the neck. The guard raises his arms in defence. Maria twists the blade out the way, electing to use her momentum to knock the guard off-balance instead. As the guard falls backwards, Maria pounces off him and towards the roof edge. By the time the guard has stood up again, Maria is already half-way down the side of the building, on her way back to her trike.

A few minutes later, Maria darts out of the alleyway, pushing her trike to the limit.

* * *

By the time Maria reaches the city limits, the sole police vehicle that was pursuing her had long been lost. Resting briefly at a late-night convenience store, Maria treats herself to a banana milkshake and a chocolate ice cream. And once the treats are consumed, she resumes her return to Scarves HQ.


	4. Chapter 4

With both Scarves HQ and their Jade Creek home being in such close proximity to Shang Tu, Danny was able to return home after the briefing, giving him the advantage of significantly more time to prepare for his part of the mission. Lacking the sensitive hearing shared by both Maria and Xander, Danny decided to resort to alternative means. Using some of the skills taught to him by Rob, Danny constructed a compact yet potent listening device. Consisting of a two-inch cone, a fully-charged energy crystal, a primitive amplification circuit, and a single in-ear speaker, it's small enough to wear on his belt, yet powerful enough to listen through interior walls.

As night falls, Danny makes his way to Shang Tu.

* * *

[Location: Shang Tu Royal Palace]

With night fully descended, Danny approaches the Royal Palace. Like Shang Mu Town Hall, the palace is guarded, but unlike Shang Mu Town Hall, the guards aren't so restrained in how they deal with intruders. While it's true no Scarf in living memory had ever lost their life to a Shang Tu Royal Guard, several have returned with significant injuries, and Danny does not wish to add to that unfortunate statistic.

Parking in a quiet and secluded location a few blocks away from the Royal Palace, Danny approaches on foot, electing to approach from the rear of the Palace in order to avoid the heavily guarded entrance. When the sole guard is out of sight and earshot, Danny sprints up to the wall, where he unslings the grappling hook from his belt and hurls it up to the next level. After a quick load-check, Danny is satisfied it's safe. He swiftly ascends, gathering up the hook and rope once safely at the top.

After two more climbs, Danny is at the right level for the offices. Palace security protocol means that all the windows are normally closed and locked from the inside, but experience has taught many of the Scarves that this protocol is often overlooked by at least one worker, and tonight is no exception. Danny shuffles around the curved wall until he finds the open window. Within ten seconds, he's inside.

Over the next hour, Danny checks every single drawer, filing cabinet, and cupboard in every office for anything that will provide clues about the control of the power supply to Shang Mu. But his search proves fruitless, as there is no evidence anywhere that there is any interference whatsoever.

Returning to the office he entered the Palace via, Danny takes a moment to reflect on the mission. _I found nothing, so the logical conclusion is that Shang Tu is innocent. Yet I can't help but feel that returning with no information at all is somehow a failure… I guess I could steal something of value, so I don't return totally empty handed._ Decision made, Danny scours the office for something suitable to steal. Feeling a little disappointed however spoils his concentration, and he accidentally knocks a small lamp off the desk.

The loud clatter attracts the attention of a guard: Danny can hear the barked command without the aid of his amplifier. Cursing under his breath, he hurries out of the window, shuffling along the wall far enough to be out of view. The last Danny hears from the guard is a curse of a foulness normally only uttered by a member of the Scarves as the window is closed and locked.

With a sigh of relief, Danny unslings the grappling hook once more and finds a spot to secure it. Once secure, he descends down the rope. At the next level down, a quick whip of the rope unhooks the grappling hook, a speedy rope wind preventing the hook falling too far. Repeating those steps, Danny drops another level, and after waiting for the lone guard to disappear once more, he repeats the steps one more time to reach ground level.

The guard returns unexpectedly early, spotting Danny immediately. "Halt!" the guard commands. Danny unsheathes his hanbo and prepares to fight. "You're only making this worse for yourself!" the guard challenges, charging Danny, his crystal-tipped staff angled at Danny's torso. Danny counters the charge with a deflection swing. As the combatants pass each other, the guard turns and prepares for another attack. But Danny is quicker: a low sweep takes out the guard's legs, dropping him to the ground. Danny's follow-up quick blow to the base of the spine ensures the guard won't be able to get up for a few minutes, allowing Danny ample time to make his escape.

* * *

Five minutes later, with sirens descending upon the Palace, Danny rides in the opposite direction. Once sure he is in the clear, he changes course and heads back to HQ.


	5. Chapter 5

[Location: Shuigang Royal Palace]

Xander had a much longer journey than his friends, and by the time he arrived on the outskirts of Shuigang, night was already falling. Approaching the Royal Palace, Xander isn't surprised to see the usual number of guards patrolling, so he retreats to work out another plan.

* * *

Twenty minutes later, with his trike parked among the trees at the top of the hill lakeside of the Royal Palace, Xander makes his way through the foliage, searching for a convenient spot to scale the wall and enter the Palace grounds. The wall-top patrols are frequent, with gaps between them too small to safely exploit, so Xander is forced to wait.

* * *

An hour later, and at last the patrols begin to thin out, finally presenting Xander with an opening. He unslings his grappling hook, using it to scale the wall swiftly. A second grapple and climb, and he's on the Palace building itself. Moving around the building as quickly as possible to avoid detection by the wall patrols, Xander starts to hear voices inside the building.

"…denying the rumours, but it is clear there's a growing unrest on the streets of Shang Mu," a voice states.

"You worry too much," a second voice replies. "Most of it is just tabloid sensationalism."

"But you cannot deny there's a kernel of truth to the rumours," the first voice counters.

"I am aware there have been occasional energy distribution issues," the second rebuts, "but there are many reasons that can happen. It's far more likely to be a fault in the grid."

"The energy 'crisis' in Shang Mu is down to the Mayor's foolish policies anyway," a third interjects. "In his vain attempts to expand his city and reinforce his imagined superiority, he's using more energy than necessary. More sensible policies would slow down the city expansion, but it would ensure the expansion is more sustainable."

"Then we shall continue to observe Shang Mu, and only interfere if they directly threaten our own energy supply," a fourth voice declares, it's obvious nobility and the tone of power it conveys exposing the identity of the speaker as no less than the King of Shuigang.

"But Your Majesty, what if-" the first voice speaks up again.

"We have enough surplus to keep us going in the event of any interruption to the supply," the King interrupts. "We can survive long enough to help Shang Tu undo any damage the fool Mayor may do."

"Of course, Your Majesty," the first voice accepts. "But it would be remiss of me not to play advocate of the _móguǐ_ , and consider the possibility of Shang Mu moving to either divert Shuigang's supply or… no, not even Zao is stupid enough to consider that."

"Consider what?" the King prompts.

"Stealing the Kingdom Stone itself," the first voice explains.

The King laughs heartily. "That would indeed be a foolish venture!"

 _It's clear they're not diverting energy from Shang Mu, especially as they have a surplus._ Satisfied his mission is complete, Xander turns to make his retreat. However, as he moves, his foot slips, and he loses his balance. Sliding down the slope of the roof, Xander scrabbles desperately for grip, ultimately catching hold of the edge of the roof. He tries to haul himself up, but the effort proves futile. The edge he's holding gives way, sending him plummeting to the ground below. Fortunately, Xander lands on a stack of empty wooden crates that collapse and break his fall, preventing significant injury.

Xander gathers his wits and makes to get up, pausing when he realises there are three kikuchi yari tips a few inches from his neck. The royal guards brandishing them are clearly not afraid to fight the burly Scarf, so Xander reluctantly raises his hands in surrender.


	6. Chapter 6

[Location: Red Scarves HQ]

Danny is the first to return to HQ, where he finds Nika in the briefing room accompanied by Spade.

"Danny Brock, reporting for debrief," Danny greets.

"No need to be so formal," Spade assures; Nika rolls her eyes. "Did you find anything?"

"Unfortunately, no luck," Danny sighs. "I found nothing at all to either confirm or deny Shang Tu is interfering with Shang Mu's energy supply."

"Which means they're almost certainly innocent," Spade concludes.

"That's my conclusion too," Danny agrees. "Still, can't help but feel I should have found something. I got some loot at least. Not a lot of value, sadly."

"Keep it," Spade assures. "You stole it, it's-"

"Hey Danny!" Maria interrupts, leaping on Danny's back, causing Danny to stumble forward slightly to regain his balance. "Did you find anything juicy?"

"Maria, how many more-" Nika starts, silenced by a firm hand gesture from Spade.

"That's enough, Nika," Spade commands. "Maria is one of our best assets. Pay her the respect she's earned."

"But she's-" Nika begins to protest.

" _Dismissed_ ," Spade hisses, his tone leaving no doubt in Nika's mind her presence is no longer welcome. As Nika leaves the room, she fixes Maria with a cold stare. Maria sticks her tongue out in response.

"I'm guessing from your bounciness you found something?" Danny asks.

"You bet I did!" Maria sings, dropping back to the floor and digging out the disposable camera to hand to Spade. "You'll like what you find on there!"

"I knew I could count on you Maria," Spade smiles as he takes the camera. "Also, you may want to wipe the ice cream from your mouth," he adds.

"Huh?" Taking out her tanto, Maria checks her reflection in the blade. "Oh!" she blushes, hastily wiping her mouth clean with the back of her hand. Sheathing the tanto, she then scrubs the traces of ice cream from her glove.

"I'll be back once I've developed these photos," Spade informs. "Do you mind hanging around, just in case Xander returns while I'm busy?"

"Sure," Danny replies. "Might have a nap while waiting."

"Good idea," Maria yawns, looking around her. She selects a corner of the room, curls up, and begins to purr as she snoozes.

"I'll make sure you're not interrupted," Spade assures as he leaves the room.

* * *

A few hours later, Spade re-enters the room, looking through a considerable stack of photographs. Danny stirs awake at the sound.

"Those Maria's photos?" Danny asks, standing and stretching.

"Yeah," Spade confirms. "I never thought I'd see the day…"

"Something wrong?" Danny asks, concerned.

"Take a look," Spade instructs, handing Danny the photos.

"Wow," Danny gasps as he comes to the end of the stack. "The crisis must be a lot worse than anyone thought if Zao's considering _that_ solution…"

"Exactly," Spade agrees. "And he won't be able to do it without us."

"Did someone miss the bus?" Maria mumbles.

"No," Danny smiles, "we were just looking through your photos."

"Oh," Maria replies. "Now shush, kitty sleepy."

Spade nods to the door; Danny follows him out of the room.

"She's a good Scarf, but she really needs to grow up," Spade sighs once the door is closed.

"Normally, I'd agree," Danny replies. "But with Maria, it's… different."

"In what way?"

"I can't say: I vowed to take it to my grave."

"Noble, but you may be doing more harm than good," Spade cautions. "Xander not back yet?" he asks, returning to business.

"Not yet," Danny replies. "I hope he's not run into trouble."

"It's a long way to Shuigang: he's probably stopped for a rest on the way back."


	7. Chapter 7

[The Kingdom Stone Heist: T-3 days. Location: Jade Creek; Maria, Danny & Xander's house; Den]

Danny and Maria had returned home shortly before sunrise, as Xander still hadn't returned by the time they left HQ. But this wasn't any concern of Maria's at this point, as she was too preoccupied checking the sharpness of her blades.

"Morning Maria," Danny greets, entering the den. "Xander around?"

"Haven't seen him," Maria answers, sheathing her blades.

"He should have been back by-" Danny begins, halting as the phone starts ringing. Curious, he answers it. "Hello… Oh, that would explain it… Yeah, we'll go get him. Thanks for the update."

"Xander got himself arrested?" Maria asks as Danny hangs up.

"Yeah," Danny sighs. "We'll go get him out after lunch."

* * *

[Location: Shuigang Palace Wall]

Early evening, and Danny and Maria pull up alongside Xander's parked trike.

"Looks like they didn't send out any patrols to try and find accomplices," Danny concludes once the engines are silenced.

"How many times have we bailed him out now?" Maria asks, a cheeky smile on her face.

"Too many," Danny sighs, also smiling. "But we've all been caught a number of times, so it evens out in the end."

"What's the plan?"

"Wait till nightfall, then over the wall and break him out."

"OK." Maria looks around for a suitable place to nap. "Wake me when you want to go rescue the big lump," she yawns, curling up to snooze on her selected spot.

* * *

An hour later, Danny gently wakes Maria. After a quick snack, drink, and warm-up, they scale the Palace wall. Once safely down the other side, they quickly move into the shadows and make their way to the Palace prison, searching window-to-window until they find the right cell.

"This is the one," Maria whispers to Danny. "Hey Xander, you big silly!" she calls quietly into the cell. "Guess who?"

"About time you guys showed up!" Xander smiles, approaching the window.

"How did they get you this time?" Danny asks.

"Fell off the roof," Xander sighs.

"Silly wolfie!" Maria giggles. "Give me a few, and I'll have your weapons," she adds before disappearing.

"Meanwhile, let's get you out of that cell," Danny continues, handing Xander a lock-picking kit.

* * *

Five minutes later, Xander joins Danny outside, Maria returning a moment later with Xander's possessions.

"Thanks guys," Xander whispers.

"No problem," Danny replies. "Now, let's get-"

Sirens sound from within the prison.

"So much for stealth!" Maria shouts over the sirens.


	8. Chapter 8

The trio waste no time at all getting back over the wall, Maria and Xander swiftly incapacitating the two guards they meet on the top. Once down the other side, they head straight for their trikes and take off as a group, joining the main road away from Shuigang to get the best speed.

Maria risks a glance over her shoulder. "Ickies chasing us!" she cries over the roar of the engines. "Three of them!"

"Split up!" Danny commands. "Lose them, then reunite at the usual!"

The trio splits up, each heading back into the trees. The chasing police also split, one following each Scarf.

* * *

Maria pushes hard and fast into the trees, weaving expertly around the trunks. However, the officer pursuing her is also a skilled rider, and is keeping pace with the lynx. Looking for an advantage, Maria spots a fork in the path ahead, one side of which has a very sturdy low-hanging branch. Ducking as low as she can and folding her ears completely flat, she just clears underneath the branch.

The officer following slams on the brakes, but it's too late. He hits the branch hard, landing on the ground in a crumpled heap. His bike continues several feet before striking a tree, snapping the front fork.

Knowing the pursuit is over, Maria giggles to herself as she continues her escape.

* * *

While Maria shakes her pursuer with relative ease, Danny is finding shaking his somewhat trickier. Even though he's using every trick he can, his pursuer keeps pace. Knowing there's always a way out, Danny racks his brain for ideas. Suddenly, the obvious solution becomes apparent. _Why didn't I think of this sooner?_

Danny slows a little to allow the officer to get close enough, then quickly slips three shuriken from his belt and tosses them over his shoulder. The officer tries to dodge the shuriken, but the spread and proximity means the only way he can avoid them is to drop to the ground and crash.

By the time the officer has recovered, Danny has disappeared.

* * *

Xander also finds his pursuer hard to shake, but unlike Danny, he elects to take a more direct approach. Halting, he dismounts as the officer behind stops, pulls out a taser, and fires it. But Xander is ready: he catches one of the barbs in a tonfa. He then strides up to the officer and knocks him out with a heavy yet non-fatal blow to the head.

Xander pulls the barbs out of his tonfa and arm, then resumes his escape.

* * *

Several minutes later at the rendezvous point, Maria is the first to arrive, Xander arriving soon after.

"Hey wolfie!" Maria chimes. "Seen blondie?"

Xander looks back up the road. "There he is," he points, "about fifty yards away."

"Hey guys," Danny greets as he rejoins his friends. "Any trouble losing them?"

"Nah!" Maria replies. "Easy-peasy!"

"No problem here either," Xander adds.

"Good," Danny nods. "Let's go home."

Maria leads the trio off into the night.

* * *

High up in the night sky over the Snowfields, a star flares into existence, getting brighter as it moves across the sky…


End file.
